Synchronized single-action graphical user interfaces for assisting an individual to uniformly manage computer-implemented activities utilizing distinct software and distinct types of electronic data, and computer-implemented methods and computer-based systems utilizing such synchronized single-action graphical user interfaces

ABSTRACT

An inventive exemplary graphical user interface which includes a visual display component specifically programmed with a plurality of actionable features allowing a user to perform at least the following: moving to and from the visual display component at least the following items: a first object corresponding to a first native application; a second object corresponding to a second native application, where the first native application is distinct from the second native application; a first data item of a first data type; and a second data item of a second data type, where the first data type is distinct from the second data type; where each of such items is moved by utilizing a single action while each item is in an active form or an inactive form; tracking such items based on timing of actions involving such items; and interacting as if each item being in a native computing environment.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/829,518; filed Aug. 18, 2015; entitled“SYNCHRONIZED SINGLE-ACTION GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES FOR ASSISTING ANINDIVIDUAL TO UNIFORMLY MANAGE COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED ACTIVITIES UTILIZINGDISTINCT SOFTWARE AND DISTINCT TYPES OF ELECTRONIC DATA, ANDCOMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED METHODS AND COMPUTER-BASED SYSTEMS UTILIZING SUCHSYNCHRONIZED SINGLE-ACTION GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES” which claimspriority of U.S. provisional application U.S. Patent Appln. No.62/038,521; filed Aug. 18, 2014; entitled “SYNCHRONIZED SINGLE-ACTIONGRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES FOR ASSISTING AN INDIVIDUAL TO UNIFORMLYMANAGE COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED ACTIVITIES UTILIZING DISTINCT SOFTWARE ANDDISTINCT TYPES OF ELECTRONIC DATA, AND COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED METHODS ANDCOMPUTER-BASED SYSTEMS UTILIZING SUCH SYNCHRONIZED SINGLE-ACTIONGRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES,” which are incorporated herein by referencein their entirety for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to synchronized single-actiongraphical user interfaces for assisting an individual to uniformlymanage computer-implemented activities utilizing distinct software anddistinct types of electronic data, and computer-implemented methods andcomputer-based systems utilizing such synchronized single-actiongraphical user interfaces.

BACKGROUND

A computer desktop can include a plurality of icons which are clickableto launch individual programs running independently of each other.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In some embodiments, the present invention is directed to an inventiveexemplary graphical user interface which includes a visual displaycomponent which is: i) specifically programmed with a plurality ofactionable features and ii) shown on a computing device of a user; wherethe plurality of actionable features allow the user, interacting withthe visual display component, to perform, at a particular time period,at least the following: moving to and from the visual display componentat least the following items: i) at least one first object correspondingto at least one first functionality of at least one first nativeapplication which is at least partially executable within the graphicaluser interface to perform at least one first native functionality; ii)at least one second object corresponding to at least one secondfunctionality of at least one second native application which is atleast partially executable within the graphical user interface toperform at least one second native functionality, where the at least onefirst native application is distinct from the at least one second nativeapplication; iii) at least one third object corresponding to at leastone first data item of a first data type; and iv) at least one fourthobject corresponding to at least one second data item of a second datatype, where the first data type is distinct from the second data type;v) where each item of such items is moved by utilizing a single actionby the user while each item is in an active form or in an inactive form;vi) where the visual display component is programmed such that when atleast one item of such items is placed over the visual display, thevisual display component allows the user to specify at least one of thefollowing: 1) at least one first instant action involving the at leastone item, 2) at least one first future action involving the at least oneitem, and 3) at least one first organizational action involving a firstvisual presentation of the at least one item on the visual displaycomponent; vii) where the visual display component is programmed suchthat when the at least one item of such items is placed over at leastone other item of such items, the visual display component allows theuser to specify at least one of the following: 1) at least one secondinstant action involving the at least one item and the at least oneother item of such items, 2) at least one second future action involvingthe at least one item and the at least one other item of such items, and3) at least one second organizational action involving a second visualpresentation of the at least one item and the at least one other item ofsuch items on the visual display component; tracking such items based ontiming of actions involving such items, where the timing includes: i) apresent time period corresponding to items being active at a particulartime, ii) a past time period corresponding to items being active priorto the particular time and are inactive at the particular time, and iii)a future time period corresponding to items being in active at theparticular time and will be active after the particular time passes; andinteracting with each item of such items via the visual displaycomponent so that: i) each item behaves as if being in a nativecomputing environment, and ii) a second execution of the nativecomputing environment as an entire native program in parallel with thegraphical user interface is avoided.

In some embodiments, the single action is a drag-and-drop action. Insome embodiments, the single action is a swapping action. In someembodiments, the exemplary graphical user interface is configured to beexecuted as a stand-alone program on a desktop of the computing device.In some embodiments, the graphical user interface is configured to beremotely executed so that as computer instructions for the visualdisplay component is transmitted to the computing device of the userover a computer network. In some embodiments, the at least one firstfunctionality of the at least one first native application is the atleast one first native application.

In some embodiments, the at least one second functionality of the atleast one second native application is the at least one second nativeapplication. In some embodiments, the at least one first data item andthe at least one second data item are selected from the group consistingof: i) a digital file, ii) an electronic message, and iii) an electronicInternet posting, and iv) a digital code.

In some embodiments, the first visual presentation and the second visualpresentation specify a priority order in which such items are presentedon the graphical user interface.

In some embodiments, the graphical user interface and the computingdevice of the user are specifically programmed to allow the user atleast a plurality of the following: 1) by selecting at least onekeyboard key, to create a recording and automatically associate therecording with the at least one item of such items with which the useris interacting; 2) to listen to the recording while browsing throughsuch items and to start and stop the recording from within each item; 3)selecting a single menu button, to receive a global notification of allmessages for such items; 4) to receive a plurality of prioritynotifications having different colors for different levels of urgency;5) to receive at least one notification related to each item of suchitem while the user interacts with each item; 6) to select differentparts of a visual presentation of each item to perform distinct actionswith each item; 7) to automatically create a relationship between suchitems when the at least one item of such items is placed over the atleast one other item of such items; 8) to have a digital note beingautomatically placed in an area of the visual display component that iscontextually related each item discussed in the digital note; 9)selecting a single menu button, to perform an action of obtaining datarelated to each item across a plurality of native applications; 10) toengaged in both threaded and non-threaded digital discussions; 11) toview a single area of the computing device which changes, at leastpartially, in color depending on a message type of an electronicmessage, an importance parameter associated with of the electronicmessage, or both; 12) to continuously view a message count; and 13) toparticipate in a conversation related to each item of such items with aplurality of participants.

In some embodiments, the present invention is directed to acomputer-implemented method which includes at least the steps of:causing, by a specifically programmed computing processor, to display agraphical user interface on a computing device of a user; where thegraphical user interface includes: a visual display component which isspecifically programmed with a plurality of actionable features; wherethe plurality of actionable features allow the user, interacting withthe visual display component, to perform, at a particular time period,at least the following: moving to and from the visual display componentat least the following items: i) at least one first object correspondingto at least one first functionality of at least one first nativeapplication which is at least partially executable within the graphicaluser interface to perform at least one first native functionality; ii)at least one second object corresponding to at least one secondfunctionality of at least one second native application which is atleast partially executable within the graphical user interface toperform at least one second native functionality, where the at least onefirst native application is distinct from the at least one second nativeapplication; iii) at least one third object corresponding to at leastone first data item of a first data type; and iv) at least one fourthobject corresponding to at least one second data item of a second datatype, where the first data type is distinct from the second data type;v) where each item of such items is moved by utilizing a single actionby the user while each item is in an active form or in an inactive form;vi) where the visual display component is programmed such that when atleast one item of such items is placed over the visual display, thevisual display component allows the user to specify at least one of thefollowing: 1) at least one first instant action involving the at leastone item, 2) at least one first future action involving the at least oneitem, and 3) at least one first organizational action involving a firstvisual presentation of the at least one item on the visual displaycomponent; vii) where the visual display component is programmed suchthat when the at least one item of such items is placed over at leastone other item of such items, the visual display component allows theuser to specify at least one of the following: 1) at least one secondinstant action involving the at least one item and the at least oneother item of such items, 2) at least one second future action involvingthe at least one item and the at least one other item of such items, and3) at least one second organizational action involving a second visualpresentation of the at least one item and the at least one other item ofsuch items on the visual display component; tracking such items based ontiming of actions involving such items, where the timing includes: i) apresent time period corresponding to items being active at a particulartime, ii) a past time period corresponding to items being active priorto the particular time and are inactive at the particular time, and iii)a future time period corresponding to items being in active at theparticular time and will be active after the particular time passes; andinteracting with each item of such items via the visual displaycomponent so that: i) each item behaves as if being in a nativecomputing environment, and ii) a second execution of the nativecomputing environment as an entire native program in parallel with thegraphical user interface is avoided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can be further explained with reference to theattached drawings, wherein like structures are referred to by likenumerals throughout the several views. The drawings shown are notnecessarily to scale, with emphasis instead generally being placed uponillustrating the principles of the present invention. Further, somefeatures may be exaggerated to show details of particular components. Inaddition, any measurements, specifications and the like shown in thefigures are intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the presentinvention.

FIGS. 1-20 show screenshots depicting certain aspects of the presentinvention in accordance with at least some embodiments.

FIGS. 21-29 show diagrams depicting certain aspects of the presentinvention in accordance with at least some embodiments such as anexemplary computer system architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Among those benefits and improvements that have been disclosed, otherobjects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures. Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely illustrative of the invention that may be embodied in variousforms. In addition, each of the examples given in connection with thevarious embodiments of the invention which are intended to beillustrative, and not restrictive.

Throughout the description, the following terms take the meaningsexplicitly associated herein, unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise. The phrases “in one embodiment” and “in some embodiments” asused herein do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment(s), thoughit may. Furthermore, the phrases “in another embodiment” and “in someother embodiments” as used herein do not necessarily refer to adifferent embodiment, although it may. Thus, as described below, variousembodiments of the invention may be readily combined, without departingfrom the scope and/or spirit of the invention.

In addition, as used herein, the term “or” is an inclusive “or”operator, and is equivalent to the term “and/or,” unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. The term “based on” is not exclusive andallows for being based on additional factors not described, unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, throughout thespecification, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” include pluralreferences. The meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on.”

It is understood that at least one aspect/functionality of variousembodiments described herein can be performed in real-time anddynamically. As used herein, the term “real-time” means that anevent/action can occur instantaneously and/or almost instantaneously intime when another event/action has occurred.

As used herein, the term “dynamic(ly)” means that an event/action thatcan occur without any human intervention. In some embodiments, theevent/action in accordance with the present invention can be inreal-time, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, etc.

As used herein, the terms “app” and “apps” refer a single or a pluralityof computer software programs.

In some embodiments, the instant invention provides synchronizedsingle-action graphical user interfaces for assisting an individual touniformly manage computer-implemented activities utilizing distinctsoftware (e.g., apps) and distinct types of electronic data, andcomputer-implemented methods and computer-based systems utilizing suchsynchronized graphical user interfaces.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, a synchronized single-actiongraphical user interface, which is a cross application data workspace,can be in a form of a single programmed user interface, also referencedherein as the “plate” or “Plate” which can be configured to at least:

1) display data from distinct/different applications, and/or

2) allow an individual, utilizing the single action, to performactivities through distinct/different applications (e.g., mobile apps)and/or with distinct/different types of data.

For example, as detailed herein, any digital object and/or data (e.g.,from inside and/or outside of a particular application) can be added tothe plate such as a file, a contact, a task, an email, a tweet, a map,an entire application (e.g., a calculator), etc. Further, in accordancewith the inventive principles detailed herein, on the inventive plate ofthe instant invention can be implemented across different platforms suchas, but not limited to:

AmigaOS, AmigaOS 4

FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD

Linux

Microsoft Windows

OpenVMS

OS X (Mac OS)

OS/2

Solaris

Tru64 UNIX

VM

Android

Bada

BlackBerry OS

Firefox OS

iOS

Embedded Linux

Palm OS

Symbian

Tizen

WebOS

Windows Mobile

Windows Phone

Adobe AIR

Adobe Flash

Adobe Shockwave

Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW)

Cocoa (API)

Cocoa Touch

Java Platforms

JavaFX

JavaFX Mobile

Microsoft XNA

Mono

Mozilla Prism, XUL and XULRunner

NET Framework

Silverlight

Open Web Platform

Oracle Database

Qt

SAP NetWeaver

Smartface

Vexi

Windows Runtime.

In addition, the different software platforms can havedifferent/distinct graphical user interface implementations (e.g., adesktop, a web app., etc.).

In some embodiments, as detailed herein, the inventive computer-basedsystems utilizing the inventive synchronized graphical user interfaces(e.g., the Plate) are configured to allow to drag-and-drop objects ontop of each other for a particular instant action, a particular futureaction, and/or a particular organization action. For example, asdetailed herein, the inventive computer-based systems utilizing theinventive synchronized graphical user interfaces (e.g., the Plate) areconfigured to function so that each object becomes like a “folder” forother object(s). When it is time to take action, all relevant objectsare on hand in the “folder.” For example, the instant actions can besaved when a particular object is dragged on top of another, and runlike a program at a future date. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG.1, the plate can be considered an “app” by itself.

In some embodiments, any electronic mails, documents, contacts, etc. canbe put on the plate by a single action of a user (e.g., swipingright/left, selection, hovering a cursor and/or a finger, etc.). In someembodiments, the plate functions like a to-do list and work managementarea and the data objects presented on the plate act as the “to-do” itemrather than a text description. In some embodiments, for example,instead of an item being a text label saying “call John Smith”, aninventive to-do list in accordance with the instant invention allows theuser to actually put John Smith's contact object on the plate whichallows to perform a call by simply clicking/selecting the “call JohnSmith” item on the inventive plate of the instant invention.Consequently, the “call John Smith” item in accordance with the instantinvention is actionable, since when the user desires call “John Smith,”the user saves a step of having to find “John Smith's” contact details.

In some embodiments, on the inventive plate of the instant invention,the user can take actions by dragging and/or dropping data objects ontoeach other. In some embodiments, for example, the user can drag an emailon a person object representing a particular person and/or a group ofpeople (e.g., “John Smith” contact object, “John Smith” profile object,etc) to forward the email instantly to a person and/or a group ofpeople; and/or the user can drag a document on the person object toshare such document instantly with the particular person and/or thegroup of people; and/or drag the document on a task, and then drag thetask on the person object to share the task with the document attachedto it with the particular person and/or the group of people, etc.

In some embodiments, the plate list of the inventive plate of theinstant invention behaves like an action list, a work management area, ato-do list, and/or any combination thereof so that the user can haveresources of data available to what s/he are working on/focusing on. Insome embodiments, all applications (e.g., email, documents, contacts,projects, calendar, tasks, notes, intranet, links, tweets, etc.)interfacing with the inventive plate of the instant invention areprogrammed to have a functionality of utilizing a single motion/actionto put a piece of data and/or action(s)/function(s) on the common platearea.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, data and/oraction(s)/function(s) from applications can be placed onto the inventiveplate of the instant invention by having the user to perform a simpleswipe to the right/left from any application. In some embodiments, theinventive plate of the instant invention can exhibit characteristics ofa chronological list, by displaying what the user most recently put onthe plate appearing first, so that such list is arranged in an order ofthe most recent list on the top and the plate can be broken down into,but is not limited to, three sections: the past, the present, and thefuture.

In some embodiments, As shown in FIG. 2, while by, for example, swipingan item (email, document, contact, tweet, app, map, etc.) to the right,with a single action, results in such item being placed onto the plate,if the user desires to act on such item quickly, the user can also, forexample, swipe the same item twice (e.g., re-add the same item) whichresults in such item being placed to the top of the list. In someembodiments, once the item is on the plate of the instant invention, theitem represents actionable data and/or functionality, allowing the userto, for example, but is not limited to, drill down into the item (e.g.,view, edit, activate, share, etc.) without starting/opening particularapplication(s) which is/are native to the item and thus to continueinteract within only the single application utilizing the samesynchronized single-action graphical user interface of the instantinvention without losing functionalities of the native application(s)(for purposes of this disclosure, the terms “native application(s)” and“native apps” are directed to softwareapplication(s)/functionalities/scripts/routines which have beenspecifically designed to process particular type of data, performparticular functions, offer particular functionalities to users, and/orany combination thereof; and have not been originally designed tointeract with the inventive synchronized single-action graphical userinterfaces of the instant invention (e.g., the inventive plate of theinstant invention)). In some embodiments, the computer systems andcomputer-implemented methods of the instant invention allow the user tobe where the user wants to be with the shortest amounts of actions.

In some embodiments, the computer systems and computer-implementedmethods of the instant invention allow the user to work on differentdata, in the inventive plate area of the instant invention withoutexiting the inventive plate in order to reach out different/distinctapplications to access different/distinct data. In some embodiments, thecomputer systems and computer-implemented methods of the instantinvention allow many applications (e.g., mobile apps) to behave as oneinterconnected unit through synchronized single-action graphical userinterface(s) of the instant invention. Consequently, in someembodiments, when the data and/or action item is placed on the inventiveplate of the instant invention, the user does not sacrifice his and/orher ability to perform all various actions which s/he can perform withsuch data and/or action item in the native application(s) but insteadthe user gains visibility into the things that the user desires to focuson which can further be, for example, segregated into areas/sets ofthings based on, for example, a time factor identifying when the userhas been focusing and/or will focus on items selected to the inventiveplate (e.g., past, present, and future).

In some embodiments, items placed on the synchronized single-actiongraphical user interface(s) of the instant invention can have uniformsize and viewing structure in a list view and a detail view (e.g.,header, action bar, body) when the user drills into an item in the listview.

In some embodiments, the synchronized single-action graphical userinterface(s) of the instant invention can be divided in to “to-do”sections/lists which can be arranged on time-basis,relevant-focus-basis, and/or any combination thereof (e.g., Past,Present and Future). In some embodiments, each “to-do” section, which isarranged on the relevant-focus-basis, can be configured topresent/maintain things (e.g., documents, messages, data, actions, etc.)based on what the user desires to focus on, irrespective of theparticular time period. For example, with respect to an example havingareas of Past, Present and Future, as shown in FIG. 3, the “Present”area can display things that the user desires to focus on presently,irrespective of particular time; then the “Past” area will list itemsthat are associated with things/tasks that the user is no longerfocusing on, and the “Future” area will list items that are associatedwith things/tasks that the user desires to focus on next after the useris done focusing on things that are residing in the “Present” to-dolist/tab.

In some embodiments, each “to-do” section can have a time-basiscomponent and be configured to present/maintain things (e.g., documents,messages, data, actions, etc.) within a predetermined time period whichcan be a default timeframe and/or be customizable by the user. Forexample, with respect to an example having areas of Past, Present andFuture, as shown in FIG. 3, the “Present” area can have a timeframe of asingle day and/or just an hour; then the “Past” area will list itemsthat are associated with things/tasks that were focused on by the userduring the previous day, and the “Future” area will list items that areassociated with things/tasks that the user will focus on (e.g., thingsdue, tasks to be done, etc.) during the next day. In some embodiments,the “Past” area will list a number of items that are associated withthings/tasks that user focused on last during the previous day. In someembodiments, the “Future” area will list items that are associated withthings/tasks that the user will focus first during the next day.

In some embodiments, items from the “Future” area automaticallytransferred/added by the systems and the synchronized single-actiongraphical user interface(s) of the instant invention to the “Present”area on a predetermined date and/or time specified by the user when theuser put the item into the “Future” area (e.g., in one example, when theuser selects/designates the item for the “Future” area, the user isprompted to identify when to move the item to the “Present” area). Insome embodiments, all items/objects in all views/areas of thesynchronized single-action graphical user interface(s) of the instantinvention are automatically transferred among all views/areas based onpre-determined instructions associated with the items/objects. In someembodiments, the systems and the synchronized single-action graphicaluser interface(s) of the instant invention allow the user to move theitem ad hoc to the “Present” area at any time by, for example, goinginto the “Future” area and swiping the object into the “Present” area.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3-4, the “Present” view/area of asynchronized single-action graphical user interface of the instantinvention is an orderable list. In some embodiments, the user canarrange the order of distinct data items by dragging these distinct dataitems to a specific position of the “Present” view within the containerof the same list.

In some embodiments, the “to-do” lists can be just a text list of thingsto do. In some embodiments, the “Past,” “Present” and “Future” listsannounce when things were, are, and/or will be due, allowing the user tofocus on things beyond what is on the user's immediate schedule. In someembodiments, based on a predetermined condition/instruction, an item canbe automatically removed by the systems and the synchronizedsingle-action graphical user interface(s) of the instant invention fromits original list (e.g., the “Present” view/area) and be moved toanother list (e.g., the “Past” view/area).

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the user can togglethrough the “Past”, “Present” and “Future” areas/lists by, for examplebut not limiting to, swiping an item from the “Past” into the “Present,”from the “Present” into the “Future,” and/or from the “Future” into the“Present”.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, when, for example, the userswipes an item from the “Present” list/view/area into the “Future”list/view/area, the user can be prompted to identify where/when the userwants such item to reappear on the synchronized single-action graphicaluser interface(s) of the instant invention (e.g., the plate). In someembodiments, there can be a snooze button for data objects ofdifferent/distinct types.

In some embodiments, for example, things in the “Present” area/list/tabcan be swiped to the left, bringing them to the “Past” area/list/tab aswell things being brought to the “Future” area/list/tab through a swipeto the right. In some embodiments, for example, things brought into thefuture are brought there with the instruction of when the user willcarry them out (e.g., in a few hours, tomorrow, in two weeks, month,etc.). In some embodiments, the computer systems andcomputer-implemented methods of the instant invention allow the user,utilizing programmed memory containers, such as the “Past”/“Future”areas/lists/tabs, to take different data objects/functionalities (e.g.,email, documents, contacts, tasks, calendared items, etc.) and “snooze”it (e.g., place different data objects/functionalities in the systemmemory (e.g., DRAM, flash memory, remote servers, etc.) to be rapidlyaccessed by the computer device when it needed) while still keeping theuser's focus as to what is there. In some embodiments, the computersystems and computer-implemented methods of the instant invention canautomatically put data on the plate intelligently (e.g., for example,the user's next scheduled appointment is automatically moved onto theplate since, intuitively, the user wants to know what is next on theuser's schedule). Consequently, having the user's next scheduledappointment show up on the plate saves the user additional time to findthe same information on the calendar and minimizes the user's need toremember to look at his calendar.

In some embodiments, the synchronized single-action graphical userinterface of the instant invention (e.g., the plate of FIG. 1) is anarea where data from different applications can be added from a singleaction within that application. For example, in some embodiments, whenthe user is in the email application, with a single action (e.g., butnot limited to, swiping to the right), the user can add an item to theplate, which serves as a container of actionable data that the user canfocus on.

In some embodiments, the inventive systems and methods of the instantinvention allow the plate to receive, automatically and/or though theuser's interaction, items from a list of things that the user could havebeen doing, and identifying them as the things that the user is choosingto focus on in the present and the present is not defined as an exacttime, it's just relevant now.

In some embodiments, the computer systems and computer-implementedmethods of the instant invention allow the data of the inventive “to-do”list to be actionable, resulting in the shortened number of steps toaccomplish a particular task. For example, the user can drag the contactJohn Smith onto the plate, which is an obvious suggestion that the userneeds to be interacting with that person, that might be a reminder toyourself “call this person today,” but this detail is not necessary asyou merely have to drag the contact on the inventive plate, whichensures the user will carry out the task that the user sets for herselfand/or himself. In another example, similarly, the same scenario appliesfor an email, rather than taking a note “I have to reply to this acertain email with a specific document after reviewing it,” the user canjust drag the email and the document onto the plate for later review,interaction and association via drag and drop (e.g. dragging thedocument onto the email to initiate a reply to the mail with thereviewed document attached). In some embodiments, the user can also adda description in order to not confuse herself and/or himself on whattask the user has to carry out (e.g., with contact John Smith). In oneexample, adding description can be accomplished by flipping over thedata object and taking a note on what task the user needs to carry out(e.g., “call John Smith”). The fact that the note exists on the “back”of the object is evident from a visual indicator on the front. In someembodiments, for example, since a synchronized single-action graphicaluser interface of the instant invention (e.g., the inventive plate) canbe directed to be the focus-based, when moving a calendar appointmentfor a particular task from a future date to the plate does not result incorresponding change in the date/time of such calendar appointment toadvance the date/time of the task execution to the present; but instead,placing the calendar appointment of the particular task on the plate itserves just an indication that the user needs to focus on it now (e.g.,preparing for the meeting), irrespective that the task is due sometimein the future. In some embodiments, in the inventive plate, the task(s)do/does not necessarily have to be done—the inventive plate can by-passtime, by, for example but is not limited to, tasks on the plate canslide from and into the “Past” and/or Future.” Areas/tubs/lists.

Illustrative Examples of Some Embodiments Actions with the InventiveSingle-Action Graphical User Interface (e.g., the Plate)

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, objects are required to be“docked” on the top of a screen. In some embodiments the top “docked”methodology allows the user to scroll up and down to find the otheritems that the user might want to drop on it which are already on theplate. In some embodiments, to dock any item, the user can, for examplebut is not limited to, simply hold down on the left side of the item andthe item then is displayed in the dock, by, for example, replacing whatis already on the dock if anything was there previously.

In some embodiments, the computer systems and computer-implementedmethods of the instant invention provide ability to drag any data objecton any other data object to create an action. For example, by dragging adocument onto a person-related item (e.g., an icon representing person'scontact entry) can prompt the user to do what the user is supposed to doregarding such person and the document and/or results in a synchronizedsingle-action graphical user interface of the instant invention causinga first available action, such as electronically andautomatically/dynamically communicating (e.g., transmitting, emailing,sharing without emailing, sending a link, SMS texting (e.g., if there isa phone number available, the program will text (e.g. send a SMS messageto) the person with a link to the document).

In some embodiments, the synchronized single-action graphical userinterface(s) of the instant invention allow(s) the user to select (e.g.,click, press/holding down, etc.) a single data object, and that objectrises to the top of the screen and docks itself which means the objectstays at the top of the screen while the user scrolls other items up anddown and/or from one side to the other side of the screen (for example,the user wants to share information with John Smith so the user docks anicon representing John Smith by holding down on the left side of theplate). Thus, for example, a single action causes a data object to dockto the top of the screen and stay there in position, so now the user canscroll down through the list and find another document that the userwants to put on the selected data object and the user drags and drops it(for example, by holding down on the left and dragging the item anddropping it on the docked item onto the specified data object). In someembodiments, scrolling can be programmed to be done by touching themiddle of the screen, if the user scrolls up and down in the middle ofthe screen, the list scrolls but if the user moves the motion to theleft of the screen, then such action results in drag and drop. In someembodiments, the right side of a synchronized single-action graphicaluser interface of the instant invention can be utilized for the user toorder the list.

Illustrative Examples of Various Action Modes Associated withSynchronized Single-Action Graphical User Interfaces of the InstantInvention

Lightening (Default Action) Mode

In some embodiments, when the user, for example but not limited to, dragand drop a data item on the plate onto the “docked” item, an action isinstantly taken. For example, dragging a document on a docked contactresults in the document being shared with that contact via the bestavailable method (e.g., direct sharing to contact's Drive location,email, text with a link, etc.). In another example, if the user drags anemail on a person, the computer systems of the instant invention canforward that email instantly with no typing and/or other action from theuser.

Prompt Mode

In some embodiments, the user can select a “prompt mode”. In someembodiments, in the prompt mode as, for example, shown in FIG. 7, thesynchronized single-action graphical user interfaces of the instantinvention (e.g., the plate) is programmed to generate a prompt (insteadof performing the default action(s) automatically) to the user asking toselect particular action(s) from a list of possible actions. Forexample, the list of possible actions can be:

1) pick a particular email address of a recipient from the list of emailaddresses recorded in contact entry for that recipient,

2) select whether the user is trying to associate the file with theperson rather than share the file with the person, and/or

3) offer all actions possible within the logic of the underlyingassociations in the system.

In some embodiments, in the lightening (default action mode), the usercan set a timer as to how long is passed before the default action isperformed by the systems of the instant invention, so that, for examplebut not limited to, the user can drop a document to John and the plateautomatically sends the document to him/her, but if the user needs tocarry out, for example, six more actions but the user has not carriedout those actions, the prior to expiration of the set time, thesynchronized single-action graphical user interfaces of the instantinvention system generate a list of those six actions so that the usercan select particular action(s) from the list.

Ordering Items from Different Applications on the Plate

In some embodiments, the systems and the graphical user interfaces ofthe instant invention of the instant invention are configured to obtaindata from different applications, display the data in a uniform manneron the plate, and allow the user to drag and drop order this list for,for example but not limited to, priority and/or move things into “Past,”“Present,” and/or “Future” lists. In some embodiments, to order thelist, the user, for example, simply drags the item from the right sideand drop it where the user desires.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of how the user is able to create a“focus” list, order, prioritize and/or manage that list in accordancewith some embodiments of the instant invention.

In some embodiments, the systems and the graphical user interfaces ofthe instant invention are configured to allow the user to add a note toany data object on the plate (e.g., by clicking on the left.). In someembodiments, an image of an object is shown to flip over so that theuser is writing the note on the “back” of the object, and the front ofthe object can show an indicator as to whether there is a note and/orhow many notes there are.

In some embodiments, the systems and the graphical user interfaces ofthe instant invention are configured to allow the user to start adiscussion about any data object on the plate.

In some embodiments, the systems and the graphical user interfaces ofthe instant invention are configured to alert the user aboutcommunications that relate to any data object on the plate. For example,in some embodiments, the user can be alerted about communication(s) thatrelate to a data object on the plate by causing the plate icon to changeits visual appearance (e.g., pulsing, change color, change shape, etc.)and/or produce a sound so that the user is being altered that there issome action relating to the plated item(s) (e.g., new email from someoneon the plate, document transfer from someone on your plate, emailrelated to a document on the plate, a new post in a collaborativediscussion that is on the plate, cancellation of a meeting that is onthe plate because it is coming up imminently, etc.).

In some embodiments, the systems and the methods of the instantinvention are directed to representing a suite of applications(underlining applications, which can be related and/or unrelated amongeach other) which are connected at the data level, with a uniforminterface, the plate, (e.g., a mobile app) having a unified navigationalstructure. In some embodiments, the applications are email, drivestorage containers (e.g., documents storage locations), calendar, tasks,files, projects, contacts, notes, intranet (e.g., business socialnetwork) and the plate.

In some embodiments, the systems and the methods of the instantinvention allow to work with data across applications both on theinterface level and on the data level. In some embodiments, the uniformand unified interface of the instant invention is configured to allowthe user, with a single action (e.g., one touch) to discoverrelationships between data from applications (e.g., applications whichare not necessarily designed to intercommunicate with each other). Insome embodiments, on the plate, the user can take actions by, forexample but not limiting to, dragging and/or dropping data objects(e.g., drag an email on a person to forward, drag a document on a personto share it, drag a document on a task then drag the task on a person toshare the task with the document attached to it, etc.)

As detailed above, in some embodiments, the plate is a desktop area fordata from different applications, forming a do list and cutting downsteps for getting things done. In some embodiments, emails can be routedto any object on the plate so it acts as an inbox for relatedcommunications.

In some embodiments, the systems and the methods of the instantinvention utilize one and/or more of the following functionalitiesand/or abilities to interconnect functions across apps (e.g., mobileapps, desktop apps, or both) with a uniform interface and navigation,and with contextual association of data:

1) selecting one and/or more keyboard keys (e.g., holding down the “+”key) to create a recording and automatically associate the recordingwith the object that the user is interacting with;

2) listening to an audio recording while browsing through differentapplications with ability to start and stop if from within eachapplication;

3) a global notification of all messages within the system of theapplications (e.g., unified alert system for all messages related toapplications running on, for example, a particular mobile device);

4) a notification of priority data with different colors for differentlevels of urgency;

5) an ability to notify about important communications that are relatedto a data object while interacting (e.g., viewing) that data object;

6) selecting a menu button (e.g., holding down a menu button) to get toglobal notifications from all apps in one place;

7) using, for example but not limiting to, a combination of click, slideand/or hold on different parts of an object in a list view to createdifferent interactions with that object in a uniform way across multipleapplications—different parts of the objects creating different actionswith:

a) for example, clicking on a left side of any object to initiatediscussion around it,

b) holding down a left side of an email object to get options related tothat email (e.g., view all from contact(s) listed in the “from filed,”view a thread), and/or

c) filtering within full-text search results;

8) dragging any data item to the plate with a single uniform motion(e.g., swiping right, swiping left, etc.);

9) dragging objects on top of other objects to automatically createactions and/or relationships of data;

10) predetermined navigational frameworks (e.g., for a mobile device: abottom left button invokes an app area, a center button invokes a menu,a bottom right button invokes the plate area, etc.);

11) ability to change “+” menu in each section with multi actions;

12) having note(s) that automatically go to a notes area that iscontextually related to object(s) discussed in the note(s);

13) having a singular button (e.g., “rSearch,” “R” button shown on FIG.9) to be assigned to cause, when selected (e.g., holding down thebutton), an action of returning all related data related to a selectedobject;

14) initiating, maintaining, and supporting both threaded andWhatsApp-style non-threaded discussions (e.g., utilizing predeterminedblend of discussion styles and how to jump back and forth between them,etc.) (in one example of threaded messaging, the messages are threadedtogether so that a user may see where a discussion begins and where itends; in one example of non-threaded messaging, the messages appearbased on the time they are posted, in a linear fashion and notunderneath the message being responded to);

15) programmed a particular button (e.g., a bottom left button shown inFIG. 9) to produce varying flashes depending on message type and/orimportance;

16) displaying a message count anywhere (i.e., throughout allinteractive experience) when the object is related to collaborativediscussions, emails and/or notes; and

17) allowing to initiate and/or join any conversation on any object withmultiple participants.

In some embodiments, the systems and the graphical user interfaces ofthe instant invention of the instant invention (e.g., the plate) areconfigured as a place to display representations of and/or store dataobjects from any app with API accessible data (e.g., a contact, acloud/space, an event, a document, a task, an email, etc.). In someembodiments, the user can act on that item on the plate in the same wayas you can within the native application. In addition, as discussedherein, in some embodiments, the user can order the list on the plate(e.g., by holding down and then dragging and dropping to order). Inaddition, as discussed herein, in some embodiments, the user can “dock”item(s) on top. In addition, as discussed herein, in some embodiments,the user can associate objects on the list of the plate with otherobjects on the list by, for example but not limited to, dragging anddropping from the left side. As discussed herein, in some embodiments,when the user drops something on something else, the systems and thegraphical user interfaces of the instant invention of the instantinvention are configured to automatically associate the droppedobject(s) with the destination object(s) and/or query the user if s/hedesires to take other actions (e.g., “Would you like to send this fileto John?”). As discussed herein, in some embodiments, in an associationmode (for example, the association mode can be activate by, for examplebut not limited to, holding down the “(r)” button, shown by a screenshotof FIG. 9, when the user interacts with the plate). As discussed herein,in some embodiments, in the association mode, the user can dragobject(s) to the right side to initiate an immediate action, and/or tothe left side if this is a multi-part association (e.g., dragging 3documents to one person, and then initiating the action).

In some embodiments, the systems and the graphical user interfaces(e.g., the plate) of the instant invention of the instant invention areconfigured to allow the user to drag first data/object(s) to the plate,and then creating a shareable task by dragging other data/object(s) onthe first data/object(s) to, for example, by adding due dates, making aparticular pre-loaded data object shareable, etc.

In some embodiments, the systems and the graphical user interfaces(e.g., the plate) of the instant invention of the instant invention areconfigured to allow a full-text searching through many data objects fromdifferent applications with a link to open the data element in a singleclick.

In some embodiments, the graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) ofthe instant invention of the instant invention are configured to be amobile client functioning as a single user interface for all hubactivities.

In some embodiments, the systems and the graphical user interfaces(e.g., the plate) of the instant invention of the instant invention areconfigured to allow seamless integration with file sharing functions ofnative applications.

In some embodiments, the systems and the graphical user interfaces(e.g., the plate) of the instant invention of the instant invention areconfigured to offer a one consistent user interface for email, files,contacts, calendaring, and/or task management.

In some embodiments, the systems and the graphical user interfaces(e.g., the plate) of the instant invention of the instant invention areconfigured to integrate various mail servers, including, but notlimiting to, Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft Exchange, etc.

In some embodiments, the systems and the graphical user interfaces(e.g., the plate) of the instant invention of the instant invention areconfigured to utilize a converged object relationship engine via aJSON/REST API (also refereed herein as the “coRe” and/or “CORE”) whichcan be deployed inside corporate firewalls and/or in the cloud (e.g.,the Internet cloud).

In some embodiments, as shown by a screenshot of FIG. 10, the systemsand the graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of the instantinvention of the instant invention are configured to offer the full-textsearching through any kind of data, including the user's data storedand/or viewable on a computer device (e.g., mobile device) and/orremotely.

In some embodiments, as shown by a screenshot of FIG. 11, the systemsand the graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of the instantinvention of the instant invention are configured to allow the viewstarred data from different applications in one list (as shown by item1101).

In some embodiments, as shown by a screenshot of FIG. 12A, the systemsand the graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of the instantinvention of the instant invention are configured to allow the user tofind data related to any data object, by, for example, clicking on the“(r)” button (1201).

In some embodiments, as shown by screenshots of FIGS. 12B-12C, thesystems and the graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of theinstant invention of the instant invention are configured to have aslide-out menu on the left to be consistent across all applications (forexample, the menu for files has same look and feel as the menu foremail).

In some embodiments, as shown by screenshots of FIGS. 13A-13B, thesystems and the graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of theinstant invention of the instant invention are configured to havedrop-down menus that are always on the same place on the top, but theoptions within vary depending on what kind of data the user is viewing.

In some embodiments, as shown by a screenshot of FIG. 14, the systemsand the graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of the instantinvention of the instant invention are configured to allow the user toswipe left on any object in any application to get an action menu.

In some embodiments, as shown by a screenshot of FIG. 15, the systemsand the graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of the instantinvention of the instant invention are configured to allow the user toshare any type of data instantly and securely with a uniform process.

In some embodiments, as shown by a screenshot of FIG. 16, the systemsand the graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of the instantinvention of the instant invention are configured to allow the user toswipe right to put any object on the plate.

In some embodiments, as shown by a screenshot of FIG. 17, the systemsand the graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of the instantinvention of the instant invention are configured to allow the user toclick on the left side of any data item to instantly have a conversationabout it and/or take a note about it.

In some embodiments, as shown by a screenshot of FIG. 18, the systemsand the graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of the instantinvention of the instant invention are configured to allow the user toinvite any number of users (e.g., user(s) who also use the inventivesystem(s) and/or graphical user interface(s) of the instant invention)into a conversation about the data object with a link back to the dataobject itself.

In some embodiments, as shown by screenshots of FIG. 19, the systems andthe graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of the instant inventionof the instant invention are configured to allow the user to have adiscussion, threaded and/or otherwise, about any data object that caninclude files, videos and/or images. In some embodiments, each dataelement itself can display a new message count for mail, conversationsand/or notes (e.g., as shown by an arrow).

In some embodiments, as shown by screenshots of FIG. 20, the systems andthe graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of the instant inventionof the instant invention are configured to allow the user to drag anyobject from the plate onto the “docked” item to create one and/or moreinstant actions (e.g., share files, invite to projects, forward mails,etc.).

In some embodiments, as shown by screenshots of FIG. 20, the systems andthe graphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of the instant inventionof the instant invention are configured to allow the user to swipe anydata object to the right to put it on the plate (arrows shows thedirections of swiping and/or corresponding action flow). In someembodiments, as shown by screenshots of FIG. 20, the systems and thegraphical user interfaces (e.g., the plate) of the instant invention ofthe instant invention are configured to allow the user to “dock” an itemon the top of the plate by holding the left side of the object down. Insome embodiments, as shown by screenshots of FIG. 20, since the plate isan actionable to-do list, the systems and the graphical user interfaces(e.g., the plate) of the instant invention of the instant invention areconfigured to allow the user to, for example, swipe left to identify anactivity as being completed and placed into the “past” area of theplate, and swipe right to put the item (e.g., activity, document,calendar note, email, etc.) into the “Future” area. In some embodiments,the user can get a prompt for when it should appear in the “Present”.

Further Illustrative Computer Operating Environments

FIG. 21 illustrates one embodiment of an environment in which thepresent invention may operate. However, not all of these components maybe required to practice the invention, and variations in the arrangementand type of the components may be made without departing from the spiritand/or scope of the present invention. In some embodiment, the inventivesystems of the instant invention can process information for a largenumber of users (e.g., at least 100; at least 1000; at least 10,000; atleast 10,000; at least 100,000; at least 1,000,000, etc.) and concurrentcomputer transactions (e.g., at least 10,000; at least 100,000; at least1,000,000, etc.). In other embodiments, the system and method are basedon a scalable computer and network architecture that incorporates variesstrategies for assessing the data, caching, searching, and databaseconnection pooling. An example of the scalable architecture is anarchitecture that is capable of operating multiple servers.

In embodiments, members of the computer system 102-104 include virtuallyany computing device capable of receiving and sending a message over anetwork, such as network 105, to and from another computing device, suchas servers 106 and 107, each other, and the like. In embodiments, theset of such devices includes devices that typically connect using awired communications medium such as personal computers, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based and/or programmable consumer electronics,network PCs, and the like. In embodiments, the set of such devices alsoincludes devices that typically connect using a wireless communicationsmedium such as cell phones, smart phones, pagers, walkie talkies, radiofrequency (RF) devices, infrared (IR) devices, CBs, integrated devicescombining one and/or more of the preceding devices, and/or virtually anymobile device, and the like. Similarly, in embodiments, client devices102-104 are any device that is capable of connecting using a wiredand/or wireless communication medium such as a PDA, POCKET PC, wearablecomputer, and any other device that is equipped to communicate over awired and/or wireless communication medium.

In embodiments, each member device within member devices 102-104 mayinclude a browser and/or desktop application that is configured toreceive and to send web pages, and the like. In embodiments, the browserand/or desktop application may be configured to receive and displaygraphics, text, multimedia, and the like, employing virtually any webbased language, including, but not limited to Standard GeneralizedMarkup Language (SMGL), such as HyperText Markup Language (HTML), awireless application protocol (WAP), a Handheld Device Markup Language(HDML), such as Wireless Markup Language (WML), WMLScript, XML,JavaScript, and the like. In some embodiments, programming may includeeither Java, .Net, QT, C, C++ and/or other suitable programminglanguage.

In embodiments, member devices 102-104 may be further configured toreceive a message from another computing device employing anothermechanism, including, but not limited to email, Short Message Service(SMS), Multimedia Message Service (MMS), instant messaging (IM),internet relay chat (IRC), mIRC, Jabber, and the like and/or aProprietary protocol.

In embodiments, network 105 may be configured to couple one computingdevice to another computing device to enable them to communicate. Insome embodiments, network 105 may be enabled to employ any form ofcomputer readable media for communicating information from oneelectronic device to another. Also, in embodiments, network 105 mayinclude a wireless interface, and/or a wired interface, such as theInternet, in addition to local area networks (LANs), wide area networks(WANs), direct connections, such as through a universal serial bus (USB)port, other forms of computer-readable media, and/or any combinationthereof. In embodiments, on an interconnected set of LANs, includingthose based on differing architectures and protocols, a router may actas a link between LANs, enabling messages to be sent from one toanother.

Also, in some embodiments, communication links within LANs typicallyinclude twisted wire pair and/or coaxial cable, while communicationlinks between networks may utilize analog telephone lines, full and/orfractional dedicated digital lines including T1, T2, T3, and T4,Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDNs), Digital Subscriber Lines(DSLs), wireless links including satellite links, and/or othercommunications links known to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, insome embodiments, remote computers and other related electronic devicescould be remotely connected to either LANs and/or WANs via a modem andtemporary telephone link. In essence, in some embodiments, network 105includes any communication method by which information may travelbetween client devices 102-104, and servers 106 and 107.

FIG. 22 shows another exemplary embodiment of the computer and networkarchitecture that supports the method and system. In some embodiments,the member devices 202 a, 202 b thru 202 n shown each at least includesa computer-readable medium, such as a random access memory (RAM) 208coupled to a processor 210 and/or FLASH memory. In some embodiments, theprocessor 210 may execute computer-executable program instructionsstored in memory 208. In some embodiments, such processors comprise amicroprocessor, an ASIC, and state machines. In some embodiments, suchprocessors comprise, and/or may be in communication with, media, forexample computer-readable media, which stores instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to perform the stepsdescribed herein. In some embodiments, computer-readable media mayinclude, but are not limited to, an electronic, optical, magnetic,and/or other storage and/or transmission device capable of providing aprocessor, such as the processor 210 of client 202 a, withcomputer-readable instructions. Other examples of suitable media mayinclude, but are not limited to, a floppy disk, CD-ROM, DVD, magneticdisk, memory chip, ROM, RAM, an ASIC, a configured processor, alloptical media, all magnetic tape and/or other magnetic media, and/or anyother medium from which a computer processor can read instructions.Also, various other forms of computer-readable media may transmit and/orcarry instructions to a computer, including a router, private and/orpublic network, and/or other transmission device and/or channel, bothwired and wireless. The instructions may comprise code from anycomputer-programming language, including, for example, C, C++, VisualBasic, Java, Python, Perl, and JavaScript.

In some embodiments, member devices 202 a-n may also comprise a numberof external and/or internal devices such as a mouse, a CD-ROM, DVD, akeyboard, a display, and/or other input and/or output devices. Examplesof client devices 202 a-n may be personal computers, digital assistants,personal digital assistants, cellular phones, mobile phones, smartphones, pagers, digital tablets, laptop computers, Internet appliances,and other processor-based devices. In general, a client device 202 a maybe any type of processor-based platform that is connected to a network206 and that interacts with one and/or more application programs. Clientdevices 202 a-n may operate on any operating system capable ofsupporting a browser and/or browser-enabled application, such asMicrosoft™, Windows™, and/or Linux. The client devices 202 a-n shown mayinclude, for example, personal computers executing a browser applicationprogram such as Microsoft Corporation's Internet Explorer™, AppleComputer, Inc.'s Safari™, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera. Through the clientdevices 202 a-n, users, 212 a-n communicate over the network 206 witheach other and with other systems and devices coupled to the network206. As shown in FIG. 22, server devices 204 and 213 may be also coupledto the network 206.

In some embodiments, the term “mobile electronic device” may refer toany portable electronic device that may and/or may not be enabled withlocation tracking functionality. For example, a mobile electronic devicecan include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA), Blackberry™, Pager, Smartphone, and/or any otherreasonable mobile electronic device. For ease, at times the abovevariations are not listed and/or are only partially listed, this is inno way meant to be a limitation.

In some embodiments, the terms “proximity detection,” “locating,”“location data,” “location information,” and “location tracking” as usedherein may refer to any form of location tracking technology and/orlocating method that can be used to provide a location of a mobileelectronic device, such as, but not limited to, at least one of locationinformation manually input by a user, such as, but not limited toentering the city, town, municipality, zip code, area code, crossstreets, and/or by any other reasonable entry to determine ageographical area; Global Positions Systems (GPS); GPS accessed usingBluetooth™; GPS accessed using any reasonable form of wireless and/ornon-wireless communication; WiFi™ server location data; Bluetooth™ basedlocation data; triangulation such as, but not limited to, network basedtriangulation, WiFi™ server information based triangulation, Bluetooth™server information based triangulation; Cell Identification basedtriangulation, Enhanced Cell Identification based triangulation,Uplink-Time difference of arrival (U-TDOA) based triangulation, Time ofarrival (TOA) based triangulation, Angle of arrival (AOA) basedtriangulation; techniques and systems using a geographic coordinatesystem such as, but not limited to, longitudinal and latitudinal based,geodesic height based, cartesian coordinates based; Radio FrequencyIdentification such as, but not limited to, Long range RFID, Short rangeRFID; using any form of RFID tag such as, but not limited to active RFIDtags, passive RFID tags, battery assisted passive RFID tags; and/or anyother reasonable way to determine location. For ease, at times the abovevariations are not listed and/or are only partially listed, this is inno way meant to be a limitation.

In some embodiments, near-field wireless communication (NFC) canrepresent a short-range wireless communications technology in whichNFC-enabled devices are “swiped,” “bumped,” “tap” and/or otherwise movedin close proximity to communicate. In some embodiments, NFC couldinclude a set of short-range wireless technologies, typically requiringa distance of 10 cm and/or less.

In some embodiments, NFC may operate at 13.56 MHz on ISO/IEC 18000-3 airinterface and at rates ranging from 106 kbit/s to 424 kbit/s. In someembodiments, NFC can involve an initiator and a target; the initiatoractively generates an RF field that can power a passive target. In someembodiment, this can enable NFC targets to take very simple form factorssuch as tags, stickers, key fobs, and/or cards that do not requirebatteries. In some embodiments, NFC peer-to-peer communication can beconducted when a plurality of NFC-enable devices within close proximityof each other.

For purposes of the instant description, the terms “cloud,” “Internetcloud,” “cloud computing,” “cloud architecture,” and similar termscorrespond to at least one of the following: (1) a large number ofcomputers connected through a real-time communication network (e.g.,Internet); (2) providing the ability to run a program and/or applicationon many connected computers (e.g., physical machines, virtual machines(VMs)) at the same time; (3) network-based services, which appear to beprovided by real server hardware, and are in fact served up by virtualhardware (e.g., virtual servers), simulated by software running on oneand/or more real machines (e.g., allowing to be moved around and scaledup (or down) on the fly without affecting the end user). In someembodiments, the instant invention offers/manages the cloudcomputing/architecture as, but not limiting to: infrastructure a service(IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS).FIGS. 23 and 24 illustrate schematics of exemplary implementations ofthe cloud computing/architecture.

Of note, the embodiments described herein may, of course, be implementedusing any appropriate computer system hardware and/or computer systemsoftware. In this regard, those of ordinary skill in the art are wellversed in the type of computer hardware that may be used (e.g., amainframe, a mini-computer, a personal computer (“PC”), a network (e.g.,an intranet and/or the internet)), the type of computer programmingtechniques that may be used (e.g., object oriented programming), and thetype of computer programming languages that may be used (e.g., C++,Basic, AJAX, Javascript). The aforementioned examples are, of course,illustrative and not restrictive.

Referring now to FIG. 25, in some embodiments, the computer systems andcomputer-implemented methods of the instant invention allow the user toaccess movies, calendars, documents, e-mails, videos, and contacts;communicate/socialize (e.g., tweets, SMS, etc.), and other activities ona instantaneous and/or periodic basis (e.g., hourly, daily, weekly,etc.).

Referring now to FIG. 26, in some embodiments, the systems of theinstant invention operate in accordance with a diagram 2600 of a systemfor server-side database-driven services 2602 that can be accessed by avariety of client side applications 2604. As can be seen, in someembodiments, the system 2600 described herein provides an automaticcontextual basis for accessing the variety of content the user normallyaccesses with a single user interface of the instant invention that tiesall the applications together 2604.

Referring now to FIG. 27, in some embodiments, there is shown a diagram2700 depicting user motions 2700 to quickly access the system 2700. Insome embodiment, the graphical user interfaces of the instant inventioncan be configured to allow the user utilizing swiping in discretedirections to perform operations with data objects displayed by thegraphical user interfaces of the instant invention: communications 2702use an up swipe, file access 2704 uses a right swipe, events 2706 use aleft swipe, and people and/or contacts 2708 use a downward swipe.Although presented in this manner, it will be understood by those withskill in the art that there are many other embodiments and styles motionthat can be used.

Referring now to FIG. 28, in some embodiments, there is shown astructural diagram 2800 of the server-side subsystem of the system 2800.In some embodiments, the server 2800 comprises a load balancer 2804, oneand/or more than one database servers 2814, one and/or more than oneinstance of JBoss application servers 2812 for servicing theapplications 2806 that communicate with an inventive user interface ofthe instant invention. In some embodiments, the database server 2814 areMySQL® servers comprising at least one master 2816 and one and/or morethan slave databases 2814.

Referring now to FIG. 29, in some embodiments, there is shown anenterprise diagram 2900 of a server-side subsystem of a system 2900. Insome embodiments, the user 2902 interact with an inventive userinterface of the instant invention, displayed on a mobile device of theuser, which requests information from a server 2904. Then, in someembodiments, the request goes to the appropriate data server 1906, 2908and 2910 as determined by the server-side subsystem 2900. In someembodiments, the data servers 2906, 2908 and 2910 can comprise a fileserver 2908, a streaming multimedia server 2906, an application server2910 and/or server cluster 2912 and 2914, a mail server 2916 and a chatserver 2918.

In some embodiments, the present invention is directed to an inventiveexemplary graphical user interface which includes a visual displaycomponent which is: i) specifically programmed with a plurality ofactionable features and ii) shown on a computing device of a user; wherethe plurality of actionable features allow the user, interacting withthe visual display component, to perform, at a particular time period,at least the following: moving to and from the visual display componentat least the following items: i) at least one first object correspondingto at least one first functionality of at least one first nativeapplication which is at least partially executable within the graphicaluser interface to perform at least one first native functionality; ii)at least one second object corresponding to at least one secondfunctionality of at least one second native application which is atleast partially executable within the graphical user interface toperform at least one second native functionality, where the at least onefirst native application is distinct from the at least one second nativeapplication; iii) at least one third object corresponding to at leastone first data item of a first data type; and iv) at least one fourthobject corresponding to at least one second data item of a second datatype, where the first data type is distinct from the second data type;v) where each item of such items is moved by utilizing a single actionby the user while each item is an in active form or in an inactive form;vi) where the visual display component is programmed such that when atleast one item of such items is placed over the visual display, thevisual display component allows the user to specify at least one of thefollowing: 1) at least one first instant action involving the at leastone item, 2) at least one first future action involving the at least oneitem, and 3) at least one first organizational action involving a firstvisual presentation of the at least one item on the visual displaycomponent; vii) where the visual display component is programmed suchthat when the at least one item of such items is placed over at leastone other item of such items, the visual display component allows theuser to specify at least one of the following: 1) at least one secondinstant action involving the at least one item and the at least oneother item of such items, 2) at least one second future action involvingthe at least one item and the at least one other item of such items, and3) at least one second organizational action involving a second visualpresentation of the at least one item and the at least one other item ofsuch items on the visual display component; tracking such items based ontiming of actions involving such items, where the timing includes: i) apresent time period corresponding to items being active at a particulartime, ii) a past time period corresponding to items being active priorto the particular time and are inactive at the particular time, and iii)a future time period corresponding to items being in active at theparticular time and will be active after the particular time passes; andinteracting with each item of such items via the visual displaycomponent so that: i) each item behaves as if being in a nativecomputing environment, and ii) a second execution of the nativecomputing environment as an entire native program in parallel with thegraphical user interface is avoided.

In some embodiments, the single action is a drag-and-drop action. Insome embodiments, the single action is a swapping action. In someembodiments, the exemplary graphical user interface is configured to beexecuted as a stand-alone program on a desktop of the computing device.In some embodiments, the graphical user interface is configured to beremotely executed so that as computer instructions for the visualdisplay component is transmitted to the computing device of the userover a computer network.

In some embodiments, the at least one first functionality of the atleast one first native application is the at least one first nativeapplication.

In some embodiments, the at least one second functionality of the atleast one second native application is the at least one second nativeapplication. In some embodiments, the at least one first data item andthe at least one second data item are selected from the group consistingof: i) a digital file, ii) an electronic message, and iii) an electronicInternet posting, and iv) a digital code.

In some embodiments, the first visual presentation and the second visualpresentation specify a priority order in which such items are presentedon the graphical user interface.

In some embodiments, the graphical user interface and the computingdevice of the user are specifically programmed to allow the user atleast a plurality of the following: 1) by selecting at least onekeyboard key, to create a recording and automatically associate therecording with the at least one item of such items with which the useris interacting; 2) to listen to the recording while browsing throughsuch items and to start and stop the recording from within each item; 3)selecting a single menu button, to receive a global notification of allmessages for such items; 4) to receive a plurality of prioritynotifications having different colors for different levels of urgency;5) to receive at least one notification related to each item of suchitem while the user interacts with each item; 6) to select differentparts of a visual presentation of each item to perform distinct actionswith each item; 7) to automatically create a relationship between suchitems when the at least one item of such items is placed over the atleast one other item of such items; 8) to have a digital note beingautomatically placed in an area of the visual display component that iscontextually related each item discussed in the digital note; 9)selecting a single menu button, to perform an action of obtaining datarelated to each item across a plurality of native applications; 10) toengaged in both threaded and non-threaded digital discussions; 11) toview a single area of the computing device which changes, at leastpartially, in color depending on a message type of an electronicmessage, an importance parameter associated with of the electronicmessage, or both; 12) to continuously view a message count; and 13) toparticipate in a conversation related to each item of such items with aplurality of participants.

In some embodiments, the present invention is directed to acomputer-implemented method which includes at least the steps of:causing, by a specifically programmed computing processor, to display agraphical user interface on a computing device of a user; where thegraphical user interface includes: a visual display component which isspecifically programmed with a plurality of actionable features; wherethe plurality of actionable features allow the user, interacting withthe visual display component, to perform, at a particular time period,at least the following: moving to and from the visual display componentat least the following items: i) at least one first object correspondingto at least one first functionality of at least one first nativeapplication which is at least partially executable within the graphicaluser interface to perform at least one first native functionality; ii)at least one second object corresponding to at least one secondfunctionality of at least one second native application which is atleast partially executable within the graphical user interface toperform at least one second native functionality, where the at least onefirst native application is distinct from the at least one second nativeapplication; iii) at least one third object corresponding to at leastone first data item of a first data type; and iv) at least one fourthobject corresponding to at least one second data item of a second datatype, where the first data type is distinct from the second data type;v) where each item of such items is moved by utilizing a single actionby the user while each item is in an active form or in an inactive form;vi) where the visual display component is programmed such that when atleast one item of such items is placed over the visual display, thevisual display component allows the user to specify at least one of thefollowing: 1) at least one first instant action involving the at leastone item, 2) at least one first future action involving the at least oneitem, and 3) at least one first organizational action involving a firstvisual presentation of the at least one item on the visual displaycomponent; vii) where the visual display component is programmed suchthat when the at least one item of such items is placed over at leastone other item of such items, the visual display component allows theuser to specify at least one of the following: 1) at least one secondinstant action involving the at least one item and the at least oneother item of such items, 2) at least one second future action involvingthe at least one item and the at least one other item of such items, and3) at least one second organizational action involving a second visualpresentation of the at least one item and the at least one other item ofsuch items on the visual display component; tracking such items based ontiming of actions involving such items, where the timing includes: i) apresent time period corresponding to items being active at a particulartime, ii) a past time period corresponding to items being active priorto the particular time and are inactive at the particular time, and iii)a future time period corresponding to items being in active at theparticular time and will be active after the particular time passes; andinteracting with each item of such items via the visual displaycomponent so that: i) each item behaves as if being in a nativecomputing environment, and ii) a second execution of the nativecomputing environment as an entire native program in parallel with thegraphical user interface is avoided.

While a number of embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed, it is understood that these embodiments are illustrativeonly, and not restrictive, and that many modifications may becomeapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Further still, thevarious steps may be carried out in any desired order (and any desiredsteps may be added and/or any desired steps may be eliminated).

What is claimed is:
 1. A graphical user interface, comprising: a visualdisplay component which is: i) specifically programmed with a pluralityof actionable features and ii) shown on a computing device of a user;wherein the plurality of actionable features allow the user, interactingwith the visual display component, to perform, at a particular timeperiod, at least the following: moving to and from the visual displaycomponent at least the following items: at least one objectcorresponding to at least one functionality of at least one nativeapplication which is at least partially executable within the graphicaluser interface to perform at least one native functionality; wherein thevisual display component is programmed such that when the at least oneitem of such items is placed over at least one other item of such items,the visual display component allows the user to specify at least atleast one instant action involving the at least one item.